1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for calibrating a computer game, and more particularly, to methods and systems for identifying a user to a controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
A growing trend in the computer gaming industry is the development of games that increase the interaction between user and gaming system. One way of accomplishing a richer interactive experience is by utilizing wireless game controllers, whose movement is tracked by the gaming system. The movement of the controller is used as input for the game. Generally speaking, gesture input refers to the detection of a user gesture by an electronic device, e.g., computing system, video game console, smart appliance, etc., utilizing a camera tracking the user's space.
Gaming systems that track wireless controllers often use calibration operations for estimating the playing area where the player operates, as well as some of the player's physical characteristics. Calibration is important because, to offer a rewarding interactive experience, the gaming system must account for the dimensions of the player and the playing area. For example, the range of motion for a child swinging a virtual baseball bat is much smaller than the range of motion for an adult swinging the virtual bat. The gaming system must accommodate both players, so both can hit a home run.
In some games, such as golf, baseball, or bowling, two or more users take turns playing the game and sharing a controller. In order to calibrate the system properly, the calibration must be performed each time the controller changes hands. This is cumbersome and interferes with the rapid start of play when a user begins a turn.
It is in this context that embodiments arise.